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Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa is keen on bringing Brighton and England defender Ben White back to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

Reports last summer revealed just how desperate Bielsa’s side were in trying to turn White’s loan deal into a permanent one, but Brighton stuck to their guns and ended up keeping him at the Amex.

Now, journalist Duncan Castles has claimed that Leeds are still one of a number of Premier League sides interested in signing the centre-back this time around, with Arsenal and Leicester also said to be keen on him.

Bielsa loves him

Despite spending just the one season at Elland Road, White left an incredible impression on Bielsa, establishing himself as a cornerstone of a Leeds defence that earned promotion back to the Premier League.

The £25.2m-rated centre-back played 46 times in the Championship, being a virtual ever-present at the back and chipping in with one goal and two assists too.

He’s followed up that reliability by featuring in 36 of Brighton’s 38 Premier League games last season, and was rated as the second-best ball-playing defender under Seagulls boss Graham Potter, having averaged a passing accuracy of 83.2% throughout the 2020/21 campaign.

And, his impressive averages of 1.4 tackles, 1.7 interceptions and 1.4 aerial duels won per game, via WhoScored, show him to be the kind of defender who also relishes getting into the thick of things but having the presence of mind to step in and nip the ball in front of the striker too.

Brighton’s academy coach, John Morling, said: “He’s so calm, nothing fazes Ben. Any hurdles, he just jumps over. He just looks like he’s been there for years. He’s a winner. You’d want him in your team.”

Having also been hailed as a “special talent” and “a warrior” too, White’s success and recent inclusion into the England squad for the EUROs is no real surprise, especially given Bielsa’s own comments about him earlier this year.

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He said: “Ben White has shown he is a Premier League player. All of us here admire him as a player. We respect him and love him as a human being. He was an excellent professional, as well as a team-mate. I hope his career allows him to grow because he deserves it.”

Given the kind of impact he made previously at Elland Road in helping the Whites to promotion, and the kinds of strides he’s taken since then, a move for the defender seems like an absolute no-brainer, and surely has Bielsa on cloud nine that he could be reunited with him.

Meanwhile, Fabrizio Romano has dropped a major Leeds United update…

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Lautaro Martinez to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Jacque Talbot, with the Football Transfers journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that Fabio Paratici is a big fan of the Inter Milan centre-forward, before going on to claim that the Spurs sporting director even attempted to sign the 24-year-old in the January window.

In a further tweet, Talbot confirmed that both Tottenham and Atletico Madrid are once again interested in the signing of the Argentina international at the end of the current campaign, with recent reports from Italy suggesting that the Serie A side would be willing to accept an offer of between €60m-€70m (£50m-£58m) for Martinez this summer.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-levy-conte-paratici-thfc” title= “Read the latest Spurs news!”]

In his post, the transfer insider said: “In what’s becoming a running trend, our story from two weeks ago confirmed by Fabrizio Romano. Tottenham and Atletico Madrid have interest in Lautaro Martinez of Inter.”

Talbot continued: “We’re told Spurs sporting director Fabio Paratici is a fan of the 24-year-old and even tried to do a deal for him in January. While Atletico readying themselves for Luis Suarez’s departure when his contract is up in two months and see the 24-year-old as the ideal replacement.”

A steal at £58m

Following his £22.5m move to Inter back in the summer of 2018, Martinez quickly has gone on to establish himself as one of the most dangerous centre-forwards in world football – bagging 69 goals and registering 23 assists over his 175 appearances for the Nerazzurri.

A large portion of these goal involvements came under the stewardship of Antonio Conte, with the Argentine hitman finding the back of the net 40 times and providing 19 assists in 97 outings over the course of the 52-year-old manager’s two-year spell in charge at the San Siro.

The £177k-per-week striker’s best campaign for Conte undoubtedly came last season, when, over his 38 Serie A fixtures, the 24-year-old scored 17 goals, registered ten assists and created nine big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.9 shots and making one key pass per game.

These returns saw the £63m-rated forward average a quite extraordinary SofaScore match rating of 7.17, ranking him as the Italian’s third-best player in the league – playing a starring role in Inter’s title-winning campaign.

As such, with Conte clearly knowing how to get the best out of Martinez, it is undeniable that the centre-forward would make an exceptional addition to the likes of Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski in the Tottenham Hotspur attack.

And, when considering that Inter were reported to have rejected Tottenham’s €95m (£80m) bid for the striker just eight months ago, should the 37-time capped international indeed be available for just £58m this summer, it is clear to see that Fabio Paratici could secure a steal by landing the 24-year-old.

AND in other news: “His people claim..”: Gold drops behind scenes update, Spurs supporters surely buzzing

Everton and West Ham United have often been two of the sides right on the periphery of the Premier League’s big six.

However, this season, they’ve managed to upset the apple cart and break into the European places.

The Toffees have ambitions of qualifying for the Europa League and they will take a giant step towards doing so by defeating the Hammers on Sunday.

That said, the Irons are battling for a Champions League place and have been electrifying during the course of the campaign.

Carlo Ancelotti revealed last week that he expects to see a fantastic reaction from his players after falling to a dismal loss against Aston Villa.

He will, however, need to improve upon his team selection from last time out.

Here’s our predicted XI…

We’re tipping the Everton boss to make just two changes to the side that at Goodison Park a week ago.

The first change is in midfield where the Merseyside outfit will be welcomed by the return of Abdoulaye Doucoure who is now back to full fitness.

The £120k-per-week Frenchman has been in full training this week after missing the last seven league games with a fractured foot.

He could replace Andre Gomes in the starting XI who has been particularly abject of late.

The only other change is in the middle of defence where Mason Holgate is axed from the starting XI.

The centre-back endured an absolute nightmare against Aston Villa and found himself at fault for the opening goal. Holgate turned back towards his own goal and then lost possession to Ollie Watkins who steered the ball past Jordan Pickford.

Consequently, Michael Keane comes back into the team. He returned to the matchday squad last weekend following a leg problem.

James Rodriguez is still out injured so Alex Iwobi maintains his place on the right flank with Richarlison on the left.

AND in other news, Move over Gordon: Everton have a future star in never-seen 15 y/o, he’s a big “threat”…

A big update has emerged regarding Rangers striker Cedric Itten and his involvement at Ibrox in the forthcoming months…

What’s the latest?

The Gers have announced their squad for the knockout stages of the Europa League and they have decided to leave the Switzerland international off the list.

He has been omitted from the squad to face Borussia Dortmund alongside the likes of Filip Helander, Jack Simpson and Ianis Hagi. They have made this call in order to bring January signings Aaron Ramsey, James Sands and Amad Diallo into the mix, although new right-back Mateusz Zukowski has missed out.

Buzzing

Rangers fans will surely be buzzing with this news, as it means that Itten will be unable to play against the Bundesliga giants later this month. The £12.5k-per-week centre-forward has been a disaster in the Premiership since Giovanni van Bronckhorst opted to recall him from his loan spell with Greuther Furth in Germany.

In two starts against Livingston and Ross County, the attacker left plenty to be desired from his performances. Across the two matches, he lost 10 of his 13 individual duels and had just 51 touches of the ball whilst failing to manage a single goal or assist.

This shows that he has been far from good enough since his return to Ibrox, which is why fans will be buzzing with the fact that he will not be in contention to play in the Europa League this month,

Incidentally, Itten started against Dortmund in a Bundesliga game earlier this season and was dismal. As per SofaScore, he lost three of his four individual battles (75%) and completed just five passes before being substituted at half-time, with his team going on to lose the match 3-0.

This display is in line with what he has been delivering at Rangers since his return and indicates a pattern which suggests he does not deserve to be starting for the club. He is too weak in his duels and does not contribute enough in the final third to make up for the other issues in his game, which is why it is the right decision to exclude him from the squad.

Van Bronckhorst will still be able to call upon him in the Premiership but the attacker will need to show a massive upturn in form to prove that he is worthy of regular game-time in the coming months. As it stands, his performances have been woeful and the supporters will surely be delighted with his omission for the Europa League.

AND in other news, Forget Barisic: Rangers nightmare who lost 70% duels must never start again for Van Bronckhorst…

Celtic goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas could be edging closer to a Parkhead exit, following an intriguing update from Greek journalist Giannis Chorianopoulos on Twitter.

The Lowdown: Ange Postecoglou continues his Parkhead rebuild

Starting to make a positive impact in Glasgow after two consecutive wins as manager, Ange Postecoglou will be keen to prioritise the continued restructuring of his side between now and the end of the summer transfer window.

One particular area of concern for the Hoops for the past 12 months has been the goalkeeping role, and further change could be set to engulf the position following recent reports.

The Latest: Barkas could be set for Celtic exit

According to Sportime editor Chorianopoulos, Barkas could be on his way out of Celtic, with the journalist claiming on Twitter: “Barkas was out of Celtic squad yesterday v Dundee. 1-2 clubs are on the verge to make enquiries for Greece international GK”.

Interest in the 27-year-old from Italy has previously been mooted as he seeks to get his career back on track, while PAOK and his former club AEK Athens are also rumoured to be keen on his services. [Sportime, via Daily Record].

The 1.96m (6 foot 4) goalkeeper has fallen behind Joe Hart and Scott Bain in the Hoops pecking order in recent weeks.

The Verdict: Right time for player and club to part ways

Unlikely to get another bite of the cherry at Celtic following Joe Hart’s arrival, moving on to pastures new might be the best-case scenario for the much-maligned Hoops stopper.

Struggling to hold down the number one jersey, he has been dropped on multiple occasions in Glasgow due to his inability to inspire confidence in his defence, even if he did keep 11 clean sheets from 22 appearances in all competitions last term [Transfermarkt].

Once labelled as ‘excellent’ by former Hoops manager Neil Lennon [67 Hail Hail], leaving Parkhead may provide the 27-year-old with a platform to prove his worth once again.

In other news, Celtic have re-opened talks with this midfield ace.

Newcastle United are reportedly keen on a move for Odsonne Edouard once the summer transfer window opens.

The Lowdown: Newcastle need a back-up striker

The St. James’ Park faithful have certainly struggled at the best of times when Callum Wilson has been injured in some parts of the 2020/21 term, and so they need somebody capable of stepping in and banging in the goals that the former AFC Bournemouth star offers.

Wilson has scored no fewer than 12 times in total across all competitions so far this campaign, while between Joelinton, Andy Carroll and Dwight Gayle, they only have eight goals (Transfermarkt), highlighting that the North East club must find a player that is much more reliable in front of goal.

The Latest: Newcastle keen on Edouard

As per the Daily Record, the Tyneside club are keen on signing Edouard, who is currently valued at £20m by Celtic.

However, they face stiff competition from the likes of Aston Villa, Arsenal and Leicester City for his signature in the Premier League, as well as AC Milan and Napoli from the Serie A.

The Verdict: Newcastle must sign Edouard

The Magpies must at least try to fend off the competition to sign Edouard, as he is the kind of player that they so desperately need.

Yes, the Scottish Premiership is certainly not of the standard of the English top flight, but 28 goal contributions in 40 games in total over all competitions this season (Transfermarkt) is not a record to be sniffed at.

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Dubbed as a ‘magnificent’ plater by Neil Lennon back in December, the French striker clearly has what it takes to make the step up, and at 23 years of age, he will only get better.

Nonetheless, the Toon may not get a better opportunity to add another potent forward to their books.

In other news, find out which other potent striker NUFC are eyeing here!

Queens Park Rangers have opted against a move to bring George Cox to the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by David McIntyre, with the West London Sport journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that talks had stalled with Fortuna Sittard regarding a deal for the left-back, with Mark Warburton having now appeared to have turned his focus in the transfer market elsewhere after seeing a £500k bid for the defender rejected.

McIntyre did go on to state that QPR could look to pick the deal up again in the future, however, at present, there are no talks ongoing between the two clubs.

Fans should be gutted

With Cox having shown a great deal of promising following his move to Fortuna from Brighton & Hove Albion back in 2019, the fact that QPR do not look likely to be welcoming the defender to the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium this summer should leave fans of Rs gutted.

Indeed, over his 33 Eredivisie appearances last season, the 23-year-old helped his side keep three clean sheets, as well as making an average of 2.4 interceptions, 1.8 tackles and making 2.3 clearances per game.

Cox also highly impressed in an attacking capacity, with the £900k-rated left-back scoring five goals, registering five assists and creating six big chances for his teammates, in addition to making an average of 0.9 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £1.2k-per-week man earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.98, ranking him as Sjors Ultee’s fourth-best player in the top flight of Dutch football.

As such, considering how impressive Cox has been during his time in the Netherlands, the youngster would have very much appeared to make a fantastic addition to Warburton’s options at left-back next season.

However, following McIntyre’s recent update, unfortunately for fans of the Rs, a deal for the defender does not appear likely at present.

In other news: QPR confirm transfer news on “fantastic” £7k-p/w beast, Warburton will be buzzing

Everton slumped to their third consecutive Premier League defeat after going down 2-1 at Molineux to an in-form Wolverhampton Wanderers side.

The Toffees were hoping to bounce back from a disappointing few weeks, but first-half goals from Max Kilman and Raul Jimenez were enough to send Bruno Lage’s charges into seventh place in the top-flight table.

It was an entertaining encounter that the hosts dominated in the opening period, and Kilman’s first Wolves goal via a back-post header was reward for their early control.

And things went from bad to worse for Everton just after the half-hour mark. Versatile defender Ben Godfrey attempted a back pass that inadvertently slipped in Jimenez, who dinked the ball expertly over an on-rushing Jordan Pickford.

It proved to be a fatal blow for the Blues and compounded Godfrey’s miserable night after struggling to deal with the hosts’ attacking movement all evening.

Journalist Josh Bunting tweeted about the incident leading to Wolves’ winning strike, lamenting Benitez’s side and Godfrey in particular for their poor play.

“Everton have been absolutely dreadful, 2-0 Wolves and they’ve deserved it they’ve played Everton off the park. Everton also making it far too easy for Wolves to get shots in at goal. Ben Godfrey is really struggling for form right now another mistake that he has been punished for,” he wrote.

As per SofaScore, the England international was awarded a match rating of just six out of 10, by far the lowest total received by any player on the pitch.

Throughout the 90 minutes, Godfrey lost seven of his 13 duels, was dribbled past by an opposition forward on two occasions and made one very costly error leading directly to a goal, highlighting his underwhelming display.

But the 23-year-old was also disappointing when in possession too. He achieved a passing accuracy of just 75%, lost possession 11 times, and failed to pick out a teammate with his only attempted cross.

The youngster was fielded in an unfamiliar left-back role due to Lucas Digne’s enforced absence, but he’ll be hoping to put in a much-improved showing when taking on Tottenham Hotspur next time out.

And, in other news…“Quite keen…”: ESPN journalist drops exciting Everton update, fans will be buzzing

Aston Villa are facing competition from fellow Premier League side Arsenal in the race to sign Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham this summer.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks have linked Dean Smith’s side with a move for the £50k-per-week forward in this summer transfer window.

According to The Daily Mirror, Villa are ready to spend £40m to bring Abraham to Villa Park, with the 23-year-old striker being told he is free to leave Chelsea as he doesn’t feature in Thomas Tuchel’s long-term plans at Stamford Bridge.

But now, The Sun have claimed that the Blues are ready to let Abraham join Arsenal on a season-long loan deal with an obligation to buy at the end of it.

Smith’s game-changer

Speaking during BT Sport coverage of Chelsea’s Champions League win over Lille, former Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand raved about Abraham’s centre-forward play, saying (via Goal):

“His hold-up play, coming to the ball, bringing others into play. There were some balls that came into him that were Didier Drogba-esque. I think he’s developing nicely, he’s scoring goals, he’s scoring different types of goals and I think he’s a threat.”

In his first spell at Villa Park – when he spent a season on loan in the Championship – the England international netted 26 goals in 40 games, as well as providing three assists too.

And, speaking after a particularly goal-scoring display against Swansea, Smith himself said:

“Tammy is a handful and he knows better than me that he should have been walking away with the match ball tonight. But he scored the winning goal, he’s a hell of a talent. Tammy put in a hell of a shift up front on his own and proved he is a fine player.”

Also described as “unbelievable” and “phenomenal” throughout his career, Abraham could provide some much-needed competition for Ollie Watkins up top, and would take the goal-scoring burden off the former Brentford man.

Watkins played an incredible 37 of Villa’s 38 Premier League games last season, and that level of endurance and luck with staying away from significant injuries would be another tall order heading into the new campaign.

Bringing in another quality striker Abraham could prove to be a game-changer for Smith as the Villa boss would know that he’s got someone who he can trust at the Premier League level to lead the line, either as a substitute or right from the off.

The fact Watkins barely missed a minute of football last season is a testament to his fitness, but also a damning indictment on the lack of cover behind him.

Smith could desperately do with someone the calibre of the £34m-rated Abraham, and it’s exactly why Villa need to fend off interest from Arsenal to land him.

Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has dropped an Aston Villa transfer update…

Not too many issues have emerged since Rafa Benitez took charge of Everton but if we really want to criticise an aspect of their play, you don’t need to look too much further than their defence.

They have kept just one clean sheet in the league so far and even conceded to Championship opposition in dismal fashion during a Carabao Cup game.

On the chalkboard

With plenty of defensive injuries, you can hardly blame a few indifferent performances at the back.

Yet, a pairing of Mason Holgate and Michael Keane was never going to go down too well.

The former made a horrendous mistake against Aston Villa towards the back end of last season when he was caught in possession after turning back towards his own goal which allowed Ollie Watkins to find the net.

A similar error occurred with Keane this term as well. Too slow to turn just beyond the halfway line, Patrick Bamford stole in and then supplied Mateusz Klich’s strike in the clash with Leeds.

They didn’t concede against Brighton but with an encounter against Burnley to come on Monday evening, they need some stronger players physically.

This is where Yerry Mina comes in. The Colombian missed the game with the Seagulls a fortnight ago and hasn’t been a pillar of solidity himself this term.

He endured a pitiful clash with Bamford in that draw with Leeds where he was ultimately described as an “embarrassment” by Jeff Stelling and “pathetic” by Michael Dawson on Sky Sports Soccer Saturday.

Yet, his profile will be extremely important against a team that play in the way Burnley do. Standing at 6 foot 5, the centre-back is a colossal presence and can consequently use that to his advantage.

Last term, the £135k-per-week earner won 2.8 aerial duels per game which was the second-highest value of any central defender at Goodison Park.

So far this season, no other team has played more balls above shoulder height in the Premier League per 90 minutes than Burnley. Despite playing one fewer game than everybody else barring their Monday opponents, the Clarets have registered 118 high balls per 90.

They have also won more aerial duels per 90 (26.7) than every other team in the Premier League. For context, Everton have only been victorious in 15.7 over the same metric.

With that in mind, Mina simply has to start on Monday night. Using the height he possesses, he could be the difference in preventing Burnley’s long-ball game.

AND in other news, Forget Keane: Everton must unleash “powerful” £68k-p/w beast, he’s Rafa’s game-changer…